History claims that watermelon originated in southern Africa but ever since it spread to both Asia and Europe, there are almost fifty varieties of the fruit that remain a popular choice with people all over the world, with the red flesh variety being the most commonly variety of them all.
How about this fruit being healthy in terms of nutrients and calories?
Right off the bat, you can say that when watermelons (square or oval) are cut into chunks, they are rich in good nutrients while also having a rather meager count when it comes to the number of calories.
Yes, each sweet and juicy watermelon chunk that you eat is only about 35 to 40 calories or so, and the low calories in watermelon chunks making it a popular choice on a diet. But it’s most redeeming quality is being able to quench one’s thirst, making it a popular fruit to eat during the summer months.
When it comes to nutrients, watermelon has carbohydrates, protein, Potassium, Vitamin A and C and Iron in sufficient quantities. The only downside with eating watermelon is that the sugar content is pretty high, so it is important to keep that in mind. The biggest benefit of eating this fruit is that it is fat-free and has no sodium. Alternatively, an average-sized watermelon is almost 1355 calories while a single wedge is about 86 calories.
(Here’s the complete nutritional break-up of watermelon chunks at this link.)
As a final word of caution: remember not to buy watermelons that are hard or that have cracks, bruises and spots.
In other watermelon related news: the Japanese, who are known to always come up with something different, have come up with square watermelons (which freaked out Japanese shoppers at first). Crazy but true.